Humidifying attachment for furnaces



May 5, 1925. 1,536,229

J. A. MARTIN HUMIDIFYING ATTACHMENT FOR FURNACES Filed 0G15. 15 1924 Ff'fl...

(/5555 A NH2 Tm Patented May 5, 1925.

Jfnssn a. MARTIN, or Los ancienne, cannronnra.

HUMIDICEYING ATTACHMENT FOR FURNACES.

Application .fried october 13, 1924.

[0 al?, 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, Jnssn A. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing atl'ios Angeles, in the county of VLos Angeles,State `of California, have invented a new and-user1`he preferred embodiment of :my invention i may comprise, in combination with a furnace of any usual or desired design, an inner receptacle, which maybe circular or annular, `connected with -an outer extension or supply member adapted directly to receive water. novel means for such autoniatic replenishment, entirely from, for example, aconstant `pressure supply pipe, as shall -maintain a uniform level of water in both said inner receptacle and said extension.

It is afurther object of this invention to provide comparatively simple and reliable means, `preferably suitable for convenient -attachment to the side of a furnace, or the "like, for the maintenance of a uniform level `of water in a receptacle `so disposed as `to facilitate the evaporation of a contained liquid; and, in a `preferred embodiment of my invention, the mentioned uniform level device, which need comprise no .iioat or diaphragm, and need require but a single valve, may include a fountain receptacle having an outlet from which water can flow only to a predetermined level, and into which water can flow only when its replenishment is necessary, automatic means being pro- `vided for changing the inclination of said receptacle and 'thereby opening the valve through which the same may be filled.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a humidifier comprising1 a fountain receptacle p-ivotally movable between an emptying ,position and a filling position; and, in a preferred embodiment, the shaft upon which said receptacle is mounted may be so associated with an inlet lpipe that, the mentioned fountain receptacle being provided with a suitable counterweight, the

`automatic elevation of said receptacle, when substantially empty, shall be effective to open a valve for the filling of the same, this The latter may be lprovided with Serial No. 743,257.

filling being in turn effective to o-verbalance said weight and to cause said receptacle to descend to its original position.

Other objects of my invention will appear `from the following description of an illustra- "tive embodiment thereof, and from Athe appended claims, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an elevational view `of a furnace organization comprising an embodiment of my invention, parts being broken away.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of external rand movable parts thereof, this view being taken as indicated by the arrow 2 of Fig. 1, parts being broken away.

Fig. 3 indicated by the line of Fig. 2.

Referring to the `details of that embodiment of my invention chosen for purposes of illustration, 11 may be the external wall of a furnace of any usual or preferred design, such as a hot air furnacecomprising an `interior drum `member 12 provided with air passages 13 leading `from a lower intake manifold (not shown) to an upper rhot air compartment `1li, diagonal outlet pipes 15, or their equivalent, `being optionally employed to conduct the heated air to 'the separate roo-ms of a dwelling, or the like, and a central line 16,01l its equivalent, being employed to carry ofll the products of combustion, incase the furnace is heated by the burning of a fuel. v

On top of the drum 12, or its equivalent, or at any suitable level within a furnace for stove, to which my invention may be adapted, and preferably surroundingl or partially surrounding a central flue,.l may provide an interior receptacle 17, this receptacle being shown as annular in l'iori` zent-al outline and as comparatively shallow, in order to expose a considerable surface of `contained water to evaporation; and, in order to avoid undue obstruction of the upward passage of heated air, this receptacle may be spaced from the drum 12,-01' its equivalent, as by means of legs 1S. Means such as a horizontal pipe '19, threaded or otherwise connected at its opposite ends to the inner receptacle 17 and to an outer cup ror extension 20, maybe employed to facilitate the replenishment of the water supply, as required by evapora tion from the inner receptacle; and the outer extension 20, or its equivalent, may be supported by means such as a bracket is a'correspon'ding view, taken as 2l, shown as secured by screws or bolts 22 to the outer Wall of the furnace 11.

By the described construction, it Will be obvious that a suitable supply of water may be provided for the evaporation receptacle 17, and a constant level maintained therein, so long as the said level is maintained Within the outer extension 20; and, in order to accomplish the result last referred to, I may employ means such as a replenishing fountain s3, shown as provided With an outlet or delivery nozzle 24E, adapted to project into the extension 2O to a. predetermined extent, as to the level of the line XHX of Fig. 2,-means such as a boss integral with the cup or extension 20, being optionally employed as a. stop to limit the descent of the fountain 23, which may normally occupy the substantially horizontal position in which it is illustrated in Figs. l and 2.

It will be obvious that, air being permitted to enter the fountain 23 only when evaporation carries the upper surface of the liquid in the extension 20 below the line X-X, the automatic replenishment of the inner receptacle 17 will continue so long as water remains in the fountain; and an important feature of my invention relates to the organization by which I propose to refill the fountain 23, as required.

For example, to provide for the automatic refilling of the fountain 23, or its equivalent, I may pivot the same at or near the terminal section 26 ofa fixed supply pipe which may be connected, as by a hose or pipe 27, with any suitable Water supply, such as a constant-pressure system; and the terminal section 26, shown as supported by a threaded bracket 28 rigidly secured at 29 to the Wall of the furnace 11, may advantageously be conical in form and provided With a lateral opening 30, constituting the same one element of a valve, the co-operating valve element 31, provided with an opposable opening 32, l ying rigidly connected, as by means of a short hollow arm 33, with the fountain 23. ',lhe construction last referred to is intended to be such that when the opening 32 is brought opposite the opening 30, as by an elevation of the fountain 23 to such a position as is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, Water may flow freely into the fountain 23, to refill the same; and, automatically to elevate the fountain 23 to the position shown, I may employ means such as a counternf'eight 34, shown as adjustably but rigidly supported by means of a rod 35 from the mentioned outer valve element 3l, pivotally supported upon the terminal section 26 of the Water supply pipe. To hold the mentioned valve elements in their intended relationships, I may employ means such as a compression spring 3G, re-

tained between an end of the valve element 3l, (a Washer 37 being optionally interposed) and a fixed or adjustable stop 38.

It is believed that the operation of my humidifying attachment Will be readily understood from thedforegoing outline of structural and functional relationships, the fountain 23 being effective to cause gradual compensatory delivery of water so long as Water shall remain therein, and the counter- Weight 34, or itsequivalent, being effective to cause a refilling of said fountain, upon which the Weight of the filled fountain is such as to overbalance the counterweight 34 and return the .fountain to its normal position, continuing the gradual delivery of Water at Whatever rate may be required to compensate for evaporation from the inner receptacle 17.

Although I have herein described a single complete embodiment of my invention, it Will be understood that various features thereof might be independently employed, and also that various modifications might be made, by those skilled in the art to which this case relates, Without the slightest departure from the spirit and yscope of my in vention, as the same is indicated above and in the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a humidifying attachment for a furnace provided with an inner evaporation receptacle having an external extension, the combination of: a Water supply pipe terminating in proximity to said furnace; and a uniform level device connected With said pipe and comprising a replenishing fountain pivotally supported and provided With means for automatically moving the same to a filling position when substantially empty.

2. An organization as defined in claim l in which said inner evaporation receptacle sui-mounts a. drum and surrounds a flue.

3. An organization as defined in claim l in which said inner receptacle is connected by a pipe with said external extension, and in which said receptacle and said extension are supported at substantially the same level.V

t. An organization as defined in claim 1 in which said Water supply pipe provides a bearing on which said fountain is pivoted.

5. An organization as defined in claim l in Which said pipe comprises an element of a valve for the delivery of Water to said fountain through a supporting arm.

6. An organization as defined in claim l in which said automatic moving means comprises a counterweight.

7. An organization as defined in claim l in Which said Water supply pipe provides a bearing on which said fountain is pivoted and constitutes one element of a valve for the delivery of Water to said fountain.

8. An organization as defined in claim l 1n which said water supply pipe constitutes a hearing on which said fountain is pivoted and in which said automatic moving means comprises a counterweight pivoted on said hearing.

9. An organization as defined in claim l in which said Water supply pipe comprises a bearing on Which said fountain is pivoted and also constitutes one element of a Valve for the delivery of Water to said fountain, and in which said automatic moving means comprises a eounterweight rigidly connected With said fountain and plvotally mounted on said bearing.

10. An organization as defined in claim l 15 set my hand at Los Angeles, California, 20

this 6th day of October, 1924.

JESSE A. MARTIN. 

